My Little Dancers

Today the three older girls started their new dance classes.  Joe and I decided that the girls can each choose one extracurricular activity to be a part of.  Having four kids, we had to decide early on that one activity times four children would be plenty for our family's schedule and time commitment.  The girls will have other opportunities to be in fun and social settings, but as far as a specific activity we limit it to one.  With that said, Joleigh chose to do Hip Hop, Noelle chose Jazz and Jaelyn is starting her first year in Tap/Ballet.  I took the above picture before we left for class and Naya wanted to be in the picture too.  It won't be long before we are enrolling her too.

Watching Joleigh and Noelle perform in their recital this summer, made me so proud!  I was blown away to see how far they had come socially (especially Joleigh) and with their dance routine in just a few months.  We are all excited to see how they do this year.

Well, I do have to report that Jaelyn was not a big fan once we arrived to the dance studio.  We got her tap shoes on and I walked her into the room to meet her new teacher and she immediately grabbed my hand and tried to hide behind me.  I sat with her for a minute and then left, leaving her crying.  She refused to do anything the teacher asked, instead she stood frozen against the wall.  I reentered the room hoping to coax her into participating but she refused.  The class was then dismissed to change into their ballet shoes.  I was hoping we would have better luck and I asked Joe to give it a try.  He didn't have any luck either and walked out of the room, leaving her standing by the wall.  Then all of the sudden she decided to participate, making sure of course that we were all watching, which we were and cheering as well.  She ended up dancing for the last 10 minutes of her 45 minute class and now she can't wait to go back next week.  She is such a funny girl and has always done things her own way.

Joleigh and Noelle each loved their new classes and teachers.  They both had smiles on their faces the entire time.